episode_0044

“As you know, our village of Rugeron is located in the northwest of the continent.”

“Yes, I know.”

“And to the west of the village, there is the Dark Forest, a demonic world recognized by the empire, and behind it is the Titan Mountains, which are said to be a place of myth.”

“I know it well because I learned it from my father.”

“And there is a snowy mountain area in the north, and through that area, Adelio took his daughter Sylvia and took a detour from the northern land through the snowy mountains to come here.”

“So, no one lives in the snowy mountains?”

“That’s right. There is a coldness in the air that even the northern tribesmen, who are strong against the cold, cannot bear.”

I thought I knew why my father had advised me not to cross the snowy mountainous area in the winter. Even the northern tribesmen who live in the cold can’t stand it? This is just an ice age.

“Then why do they call us looters?”

“I think it’s probably because of the war that took place in the past between the northern tribesmen and the northern prince.”

“War?”

“Okay. Duke Starr attempted to conquer the northern tribesmen, calling them barbarians in the name of territorial expansion.”

“War is there to be gained in the North… ”

The North is a vulgar land. I wanted the northern tribesmen to invade to plunder, but there was no reason to invade from this side. It’s not for nothing that the North is left out in fantasy novels.

“I don’t know much about that either. Adelio, that friend fled to the village of Rugeron with his wife and young daughter Sylvia because of the war. I lost my wife in the process.”

“That… ”

My heart ached for Sylvia’s dark past. Next time you get the chance, comfort her.

“Did my answer answer your question?”

“Yes, thank you, Chief.”

“I’m glad it was helpful to you.”

I thanked the village chief and returned home.

He then freed Vivian and her younger siblings who were trapped.

Vivian looked embarrassed, and I reassured her through Sylvia.

“I think there is a misunderstanding between us. We are not the marauders you think we are, and we will not harm you.”

Vivian was wary at first, but thanks to Sylvia’s persistent persuasion, she soon relaxed her guard. And he conveyed his opinion through Sylvia.

“I am Vivian of the Molar Tribe. If you swear that you will not lay a hand on my sister, then as a loser, I will submit to you, the winner.”

“Well, that’s about it.”

Suddenly, the family temporarily increased.

First of all, it is temporary.

. . .

Two weeks have passed since Vivian and her twin sisters arrived. Once winter is over, I plan to visit the North with her. It’s also Sylvia’s hometown, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go check on the forces near the village.

Maybe that’s why Sylvia and Vivian have become very close recently.

“Really? There are fruits growing in the north too. It’s amazing.”

Well, from Vivian’s point of view, it was inevitable since Sylvia was the only person she could communicate with.

In contrast, her twin sisters, Becky and Bessie, became close friends with their peers, Clia and Elin, even though they did not speak the same language.

“Becky, try this. This is the green bread my brother made, but it doesn’t contain any flour!”

“Bessie! Bessie!”

“Ah, it’s Bessie. I’m sorry.”

Perhaps because they were identical twins, it was hard to tell who was Becky and who was Bessie. Except for the tear spots, both are very similar.

“Sian oppa.”

“Elin, why?”

“Becky wants to play with a wooden doll. Can I give it to you?”

“Yes, it doesn’t matter. If you want to give it, you can.”

“Oppa, thank you.”

While everyone was dealing with their new family members, I approached Chloe.

“Chloe, isn’t it cold?”

“No. But I want to feel the warmth of honey.”

“Then there’s nothing we can do.”

I hugged Chloe who was sitting on the chair.

“Can you feel it?”

“Yes. I love you, honey.”

“I love you too.”

“Give ‘I love you’ to my child too.”

“That should be it. I love you.”

Once again, I gave prenatal care to Chloe’s baby and me in her stomach. Then Chloe said, caressing her stomach as if there was a reaction.

“They say they love my child too.”

“Then I should love you even more.”

When I whisper love to Chloe like that,

“Sian.”

“Huh? Elthea, what’s going on?”

Elthea found me.

“Celnia has arrived.”

“Why?”

“They say they need more firewood.”

“Already? It hasn’t been long since I gave it to you.”

“The recent cold weather has become so severe that it seems we are using more firewood than we thought.”

“Hmm… ”

Thinking it wasn’t a story to tell here, I kissed Chloe’s cheek and went outside with Elthea to greet Selnia, who had come looking for me.

“Please help me.”

“I am not a priest.”

Selnia seemed a little surprised to see her speaking so confidently, perhaps because she was seen as a brat just because people were nice to her.

“Can’t you just buy firewood in the first place?”

“Didn’t you know that my husband lost his leg?”

“I know.”

Selnia’s husband, Jace, lost his leg while saving his comrades in battle. Naturally, he has a disability and will not be able to do the work we want.

“But even if you don’t have to pay with labor, isn’t it okay to pay the full price?”

We also had flexibility. All you had to do was pay for the firewood set by Elsia and purchase it, and if you didn’t have money, you could exchange it in kind.

“Our circumstances are not good.”

“That’s your situation. And if you don’t have enough, ask the village chief for help.”

“I talked to the village chief, but he didn’t give me any specific answer.”

“Well, even the village chief has his limits.”

The conversation was running parallel.

The other side was crying out for help, and I was telling them to get out of the way.

“You seem to have enough money to accept other women in your family, even strangers, but can’t you help someone from your same village?”

“No matter what happens, that woman is paying the full price, unlike anyone else.”

Vivian wasn’t just wasting food. As a northern tribesman, he had some tolerance to the cold and was also an expert at hunting, so he and Clara recently took turns going hunting together. Maybe that’s why Clara seemed upset these days.

In any case, Vivian was not only a guide when we visited the North in the future, but also a helper who would prove our identity to the Northern tribesmen.

Compared to her, a villager who asks for help without receiving anything in return? Honestly, if you have a conscience, if you say something like this, shouldn’t you just get out of the way?

“Does Elthea advise you to say that?”

But suddenly it started to move rapidly from there.

“I don’t know why you think that way, but we have no intention of helping you any further.”

“That’s it. Because I also have no intention of asking for help from you, the insidious one.”

After saying that, Selnia left and went back to her house. I asked Elthea while looking at her back.

“I knew you as a friend, but did you have any bad stories in the past?”

“Yes, I was in a relationship with her in the past.”

???

I was momentarily speechless at the answer that exceeded my expectations.

“You mean they are lovers?”

“When we were young, Selnia and I were not particularly interested in men. All the men in the village were busy looking at Sylvia, not at us. Then, we met the same woman. Then we had a sexual relationship. Ah, she was my first partner.”

The story Elthea told me about her past was quite shocking. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t accept it.

Homosexuality happens when two people are of the same mind. But the problem is that this is not a world that accepts homosexuality.

In fact, both got married and started a family.

But I didn’t understand why our relationship became so sad because of that. But I didn’t bother to ask. Because there is a past history that we don’t want to talk about. No matter how family you are, that line should not be crossed. Instead, I asked Elthea something else.

“Want to help?”

There is something called old affection. Even more so when it comes to romantic relationships. But Elthea answered calmly.

“It’s okay. Now I am not her lover, but Sian’s concubine.”

Should I say it’s like her? It was nice to see her clearly drawing a line with the fact that she was mine, and I tried to understand her feelings.

I said as I kissed Elthea.

“If you still want to help, let me know. Because I don’t feel burdened by taking responsibility for a few more people.”

“I understand. Sian.”

. . .

Tonight it was Elthea’s turn to serve. But today, Elthea did not come to my bedroom alone. A woman with dark brown hair, along with Selnia, came to my bedroom.

She stood in front of me with a humiliated look on her face. Then he slowly took off his clothes, knelt in front of me, looked up at me, and said.

“I would appreciate it if you could purchase it from me. Sian.”

Looking at that, Elthea smiled sadistically. She was masochistic in front of me, but she doesn’t seem to be that way towards her ex.